Michael C. McAlpine is the Benjamin Mayhugh Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota (2015-Present). He was an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University (2008-2015). He received a B.S. in Chemistry with honors from Brown University (2000) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University (2006). His research is focused on 3D printing functional materials & devices. He has received a number of awards: Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, TR35 Young Innovator Award, Air Force Young Investigator Award, Intelligence Community Young Investigator Award, DuPont Young Investigator Award, National Academy of Sciences Frontiers Fellow, DARPA Young Faculty Award, American Asthma Foundation Early Excellence Award, Graduate Student Mentoring Award, Extreme Mechanics Letters Young Lecturer, National Academy of Engineering Frontiers in Engineering.

3D Printing Functional Materials & Devices

The development of methods for interfacing high performance functional
devices with biology could impact regenerative medicine, smart
prosthetics, and human-machine interfaces. Indeed, the ability to
three-dimensionally interweave biological and functional materials could
enable the creation of devices possessing unique geometries,
properties, and functionalities. Yet, most high quality functional
materials are two dimensional, hard and brittle, and require high
crystallization temperatures for maximal performance. These properties
render the corresponding devices incompatible with biology, which is
three-dimensional, soft, stretchable, and temperature sensitive. We
overcome these dichotomies by: 1) using 3D printing and scanning for
customized, interwoven, anatomically accurate device architectures; 2)
employing nanotechnology as an enabling route for overcoming mechanical
discrepancies while retaining high performance; and 3) 3D printing a
range of soft and nanoscale materials to enable the integration of a
diverse palette of high quality functional nanomaterials with biology.
3D printing is a multi-scale platform, allowing for the incorporation of
functional nanoscale inks, the printing of microscale features, and
ultimately the creation of macroscale devices. This three-dimensional
blending of functional materials and ‘living’ platforms may enable
next-generation 3D printed devices.